Arsenal 1 Chelsea 1
Arsenal finished UEFA‘s job for them – albeit temporarily – by stopping Chelsea with their huge financial advantage, gaining a third title. Great credit obviously, to Manchester United.
They also saved Premiership chief Richard Scudamore’s squirms when he said a while back, if Chelsea win it three or four times on the trot then there’ll be a problem.
That said, in the realpolitic world of football, the scoreline masks a lot of cracks. Without the Champions League semi-final loss after extra-time, and injuries to £100m plus worth of talent in Drogba, Ballack, Shevchenko, Robben and Carvalho, and with 11 men, they most probably would have won. Let’s hope the Arsenal management don’t take the scoreline at face value.
Even with Henry, van Persie, and Rosicky back, there is still a doubt whether Arsenal would have won this game. Why hasn’t Wenger beaten Mourinho in ten games, with at least two of those players available at most times?
This Arsenal team/squad needs INVESTMENT. To compete with athletes taking ‘financial doping’, as Wenger refers to Chelsea’s massive investment, you, unfortunately, need to undertake ‘financial doping’. Not necessarily Kroenke‘s debt financed investment, but certainly the £40m loan facility plus.
Unless of course, what is in the forthcoming European White Paper, about a salary cap comes to fruition – and there are increasingly strong political forces that want it, including UEFA‘s Michel Platini, reportedly the G14 and European sports and finance ministers.
UEFA says: “The aim here is not to place an upper limit on what players can earn but simply to prevent those with the deepest pockets buying all the best players and therefore dominating competition, contrary to the interests of the sport and the public.”
If that came in, then, on last years figures (£132m turnover) Arsenal would have had a wage and transfer budget (75%) of £99.75m, while Chelsea with a higher turnover (£152m), would have a cap of £114m. Chelsea’s wages are currently over that limit, so some players would have to leave. Arsenal’s wages, although rising, look like holding steady at around 55% as a percentage of turnover, this season.
The previous year, Arsenal’s income was £115m and 57% of that went on wages. But Chelsea with a turnover of £149m, spent 73% of that on salaries. And subsequently they’ve added £10-12m/yr alone in the form of Ballack and Shevchenko.
And also you could respect Chelsea a lot more if the cap came in. Money aside, in the second half they showed the fight that some Arsenal teams used to have.
The Chelsea squad today lined up at around £137m (transfer value in). Arsenal’s at around £38.5m.
Chelsea practised in a huddle, a circular group with no outward sign of the supposed East European, Portuguese and English cliques within the squad. Arsenal were individualistic in the warm up.
Chelsea players looked on the whole a lot bigger and more muscular than Arsenal’s. And several midfield challenges – Fabregas just bounced off Mikel at one point, Denilson couldn’t challenge Mikel for an aerial ball, and Essien outmuscled Baptista, Adebayor and later on Hleb – meant it was like lightweights or middleweights versus heavyweights.
Chelsea looked threatening, particularly down the left, where Kalou made incisive runs. On occasion panic set in the Arsenal defence.
It was not yer usual home game, with Arsenal probing. Chelsea gained the ascendancy early on without fashioning a direct chance.
But Arsenal settled after 15-20 minutes, and Eboue found Adebayor who dinked it for the onrushing Fabregas… too far ahead.
Baptista had a chance in the area, but he missed the ball. Was that the last we see of the beast at the Emirates? (Or Ljungberg, Flamini and Aliadiere, for that matter?).
Joe Cole, who to his amazing credit has paid £20,000 plus for an ex-West Ham player to have a knee operation, fired a shot wide from distance.
And soon after when the ball fell free in the Arsenal area he dragged his shot across Lehmann.
At the other end, Diaby and Fabregas worked an opening for Adebayor who poked it straight at Cech.
Then, near half time a ball came in from the left, Boulharouz, who did not look fit, let Baptista get ahead of him and he tripped the Brazilian as he was about to shoot. Red card.
Gilberto sent Cech the wrong way. The fifth penalty the Czech has conceeded in the last five days. One a day Cech!
Adebayor flashed a shot wide from a corner with Gallas just failing to connect. Would Thierry Henry have scored, from that, or other chances?
William Gallas had an easy chance from a corner, one with just Cech to beat. He gave a clue of what he thought of his experiences at Chelsea by the way he curled his body in pent up frustration.
Wenger rollocked Adebayor for trying a fancy back-flick. The Togo forward could have had three chances, but his control let him down. Would Samuel Eto’o have finished any of those?
And just like the season as a whole, Arsenal couldn’t finish a team off.
Denilson was stretechered off as Diaby tried to dribble free, ending up in a four-way collision in what looked like a stamp by Ferreira. Arsenal lost something when the young Brazilian exited.
Substitute Hleb didn’t track back enough from a corner headed out by Gilberto and Wright-Phillips (a Kenyon signing) sent a dangerous low ball in which Essien converted past Lehmann.
The jitters set in again. Would ten-man Chelsea (although still worth vastly more in transfer fees) beat 11-man Arsenal?
Nearly, as Lampard fired a dipping volley, which Lehmann saved.
Nearly, as Kalou (an Arnesen signing) fired into the middle of the goal, enabling Lehmann to parry over.
Nearly, as Essien swung on a loose ball in the area to fire wide.
But Arsenal had two chances of their own. Hleb‘s cross-shot was saved by Cech.
And Baptista breaking away, fed Fabregas, who rolled it to Eboue, who hit the crossbar with his cross-shot – summing up Arsenal’s season.
Still, Arsenal fans enjoyed singing: “You’re not Champions anymore.” And you couldn’t help feeling Mourinho had the exit sign, flashing neon in his aura, as he walked towards the away supporters.
Arsenal: Jens Lehmann, Emmanuel Eboue, Kolo Toure, Gael Clichy, William Gallas, Denilson (Alexander Hleb 59), Abou Diaby, (Justin Hoyte 79) Cesc Fabregas, Gilberto, Julio Baptista, Emmanuel Adebayor. Subs not used: Manuel Almunia, Philippe Senderos, Johan Djourou
Chelsea: Petr Cech, Khalid Boulahrouz, Paulo Ferreira, John Terry, Wayne Bridge, Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, John Mikel, (Lassana Diarra 74), Michael Essien, Shaun Wright-Phillips (Scott Sinclair 80), Salomon Kalou. Subs not used: Carlo Cudicini, Claude Makelele, Ben Sahar
Referee: Alan Wiley